All About Jefferson County Alabama

Jefferson County is the most well known county in the state of Alabama. It occupies the north-central portion of Alabama. It is also the most populated county in the state. It was formed from Blount County in the year 1819 and was named after Thomas Jefferson; the third US president. In addition, Birmingham city is the most populous in the county and is referred to as the `county seat’. Let’s look at some of the important aspects of the county.

Law Enforcement

The county sheriff’s department serves all of Jefferson County. The sheriff is chosen through a vote. The sheriff has 175 deputies who are assigned to patrol different county areas. There are two county jails located in Birmingham and Bessemer. They are commonly used in detaining suspects who are waiting for trial and cannot afford to post bond. However many inmates choose to call a local bail bond agency to try and post bail. The bonding process can be confusing and often times people do not understand how posting a professional bond works. The county is also served by two judicial courthouses with the main court house located in Birmingham city.

Demographics

Jefferson county has a total population of 658,466 people. White and African Americans make up 53% and 41% of the population respectively. Other minority races which occupy the county include Latino, Asian, American Indian and Hawaiian. In terms of gender, females form the larger percentage. There are 346,653 females and 311,813 men. The median age of people in the county is 37 years old, however 18.7% of the residents live in poverty. The population of males in many households are between 25-29 years. Likewise, the population of females in households are between the ages of 50-54 years. In most households, people are over 18 years of age.

Crime rate chart courtesy of Recordspedia

Bordering counties

On northwest part of the county there is Walker County. The northeast side is bordered by Blount County and St. Clair County. On the Southwest side, we have Tuscaloosa County and Bibb County. Lastly, on the Southeast side we have Shelby County.

Government

Jefferson County elects a commission as the governing body. There are five districts in the county. To form a government, 5 commissioners are elected from five districts in the county. They are elected for a period of four years. They are given many responsibilities like managing the county finances and collecting taxes in the county. In addition, they allocate resources which are used in infrastructure projects like construction of roads, buildings and all public facilities. Further, they are responsible for county property where they act as custodians. Other responsibilities include provision of sewer services and ensuring there is proper law enforcement.

Geographical location

Jefferson County has a total area of 1,124 square miles where the dry land occupies 1111 square miles and water occupies 13 square miles which is equivalent to 1% of the total area. In terms of the land area, it is the fifth largest county in Alabama. The Cahaba River and the Black Warrior River drain the county.